Travel Blog

Six Tokyo Restaurants to Try Now

Blog Post

Macchiato at Omotesando Koffee Tired of green tea? On a hard-to-find Omotesando alley, a lone barista brews one Zen cup of coffee at a time. We love the chewy, baked-custard kashi served on the side.ooo-koffee.com; $5.

Lunch

Oyster on ice at Seamon Ginza Chefs with monkishly shaved heads work behind a red lacquer counter, creating a set sushi menu based on the day’s haul from Tsukiji Market. A mainstay: one perfect oyster in a soy vinaigrette. seamon.jp; $37 for lunch.

To Go

Hitokuchi-gashi at Higashiya Ginza A modernist take on the traditional tearoom, Higashiya also sells gift sets of its bean-paste confections, with such enticing flavors as peach compote, dried sour apricot, and purple sweet potato, for the plane ride home. higashiya.com; $17.50.

Snack

Grilled ayu at Kuroudo-Kuriya Nenohi Most izakayas are salaryman magnets, but this Marunouchi pub draws a more stylish crowd with its otoushi (salty snacks) and yakitori dishes, like a skewered sweetfish, paired with sakes from the 350-year-old Morita brewery. nenohi.com; $5.

Dinner

Vegetables with bonito broth at Ore-no Kappou (pictured) At this “standing restaurant” in Ginza, diners lean against counters to eat chef Hiroshi Shimada’s inventive creations, such as a gelée of sweet potato, pumpkin, broccoli, and asparagus. oreno.co.jp; $5.

Dessert

Chocolate and mango lamingtons at the Peninsula Tokyo Japan’s master pâtissiers now rival their Parisian counterparts. Among them: Shigeru Nojima, whose dainty offerings include these sponge cakes made boozy with whiskey. peninsula.com; $3.50.